Disable Smilies in This Post. Show Signature: include your profile signature. Only registered users may have signatures.

*If HTML and/or UBB Code are enabled, this means you can use HTML and/or UBB Code in your message.

If you have previously registered, but forgotten your password, click here.

T O P I C R E V I E W

SpaceAholic

AFP reports that Kazakhstan, which hosts Russia's Baikonur cosmodrome, is blocking three upcoming Russian satellite launches because of a dispute over the drop zone for rocket debris.

The first stages of the Soyuz rockets that were scheduled to launch a total of seven satellites were due to fall down over a region of north Kazakhstan that is only occasionally used as a drop zone for debris.

Kazakhstan argues that in order for the zone to be used the two sides must sign an additional agreement to the leasing accord it has with Russia, the Kommersant daily and Interfax news agency reported.

"Due to this we are simply unable to carry out not just our own but international obligations," a source in the Russian space agency Roscosmos told Kommersant.

Robert Pearlman

Space News reports that the two governments have been negotiating a treaty on acceptable drop zones for rocket stages since 2008.

Kazakhstan has protested to Russia that launches into polar orbit carry the rockets over populated Kazakh territories and cannot be allowed without further negotiations. Kazcosmos said authority to launch into the affected areas is not part of Russia's $115 million annual lease of the Baikonur facility.

music_space

If indeed polar-orbit Soyuz missions drop stages de facto over populated areas, isn't this an unacceptable situation for all parties, including international beneficiaries of such flights?

SpaceAholic

Not if they are collectors.

Robert Pearlman

According to Anatoly Zak (RussianSpaceWeb.com), Kazakhstan is no longer blocking Russian satellite launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

Arianespace confirms that a drop zone for the launch of MetOp-B satellite is now available and the mission will proceed on Sept. 19. Couple of other missions in the same direction are also good to go, according to the Russian media.

Jay Chladek

Sounds like the only reason Kazakhstan does this is because they want something else, not necessarily because of their objection to the debris drop itself. If Kazakhstan were really ticked, they could always cut power to Baikonur once again, as they did a few times in the 1990s when the electric bill wasn't paid on time.

MrSpace86

They really did cut the lights out? Wow. That place sounds so awesome and fun. I wish it wasn't so far away

SkyMan1958

One would assume that a healthy percentage of the workers at the Baikonur facility are Kazakhis, so that Kazakhstan also has a fairly high motivation to move things along smoothly.